Chalmers made his place evident again last week as he went 3 for 3 with a pair of doubles, a single and an RBI in a loss to Hebron Christian last Tuesday, then struck out 15 pitching in a win against Prince Avenue Christian on Saturday.

For his efforts, Chalmers is The Times Boys Athlete of the Week.

“He has been a young man that every time he pitches, we have a chance to win,” Roark said. “He has come on this year and been a great pitcher for us.”

One of the major factors in Chalmers’s success, according to Roark, is his maturity and presence on the field.

“His presence as a player has been a nice surprise,” Roark said. “He has really matured as a baseball player. He has done everything we ask him to do, and he just kind of does it in a quiet and consistent way.”

Chalmers credits his growth to Roark and his teammates, who he says make him feel comfortable and accepted despite his youth.

“We’ve got a lot of really good leaders on the team setting a good path for me,” Chalmers said. “They help me do a good job of keeping my head on straight, even if things aren’t going my way.”

Since Chalmers has been able to stay focused on the mound and relax at the plate, he has been able to lead the team by example in his second year.

“One of his major characteristics is that he’s confident,” Roark said. “He will throw any of his pitches at any time.

At the plate he’s able to relax in big moments like in the Prince Avenue game when he came in with the winning run, he just let all of the practice time he’s put in take over.”

This relaxed demeanor is new for Chalmers, who said he was more tense at the plate last year but learned how to take a step back and just do his job from Roark. Now, instead of being tense and overaggressive, he just finds focus.

“I just work on staying focused and not worry about anything else that’s going on,” Chalmers said. “I just work on the next pitch. I feel really confident on the mound.”

In addition to focusing on each pitch, Chalmers is also focused on the postseason.

“I hope I can go deep into games so we can save pitchers and move on in the playoffs, because I’m pretty sure we’re going to go,” Chalmers said. “I’ve cut down on my walks a lot, so that helps us save pitching down the stretch.”

Even after the season, Roark noted that Chalmers doesn’t stop working on his game and believes the young pitcher has a bright future ahead of him.

“He’s always working to improve,” Roark said. “He’s very passionate as a baseball player, and if he continues to improve, the sky’s the limit.”